Instagram icon Alok moves artistically seamlessly between poetry, comedy, literature and film. She is currently on a standup tour. With a stop in Berlin.
When Alok aka Alok Vaid-Menon was younger, he:she would sometimes wear his mother’s salwar kameez dresses and dance to Bollywood songs in exalted ways at Indian family dinner parties in Texas. “I had absolutely no shame. I was so flaming, so queer, so feminine, and everyone accepted it.”
Alok is a non-binary author and performer. When he:she shares this childhood memory, people are often surprised: “They say, ‘God, I thought you were so conservative.’ I answer: ‘Think!’. I’ve never been ashamed, to the point where others told me to hold back.”
This and more can be read in the German edition of Alok’s book “More than Binary”, which is advertised together with “ALOK” – the artist’s standup comedy tour, which also has several dates in Germany. Berlin has known Alok for over ten years now. The last time he:she set foot in the German capital was shortly after the publication of the poetry book Femme in Public (2017).
At 31, Alok moves seamlessly between poetry, comedy, fashion and literature. For Alok, a big part of this work has to do with trying to be the short-tempered, queer kid he:she used to be: “I was so unapologetic, I don’t think I’ve ever had that level of confidence again.” The reach of this cross-genre work seems to prove otherwise. Alok has more than a million followers on Instagram and has become an influential figure for people wanting to learn more about gender nonconformity.
A major influence was Alok’s aunt
Alok grew up in a “very white, very Christian, very conservative” town in Texas and was surrounded by a close-knit Indian community of US immigrants. A key influence was her aunt, LGBTQ+ pioneer Urvashi Vaid, who passed away earlier this year. She, who campaigned for AIDS and gay rights for four decades, describes Alok as his:her first “queer protector.”
“Before I knew I was queer, Urvashi said to my whole family, ‘Okay, I have a feeling this is going to be a queer kid.’ So she protected me before I even knew I needed protection,” says Alok. The aunt had to convince the family to accept their queerness long before Alok was born. With her latest book he:she is now continuing her aunt’s fight for equal rights.
The book came about as Alok noticed new anti-trans legislation and rising discrimination in the US. This came at a time when dozens of bills were being introduced that would restrict educators’ right to be critical of race, gender, sexuality and inequality. Ultimately, this has led to some US schools feeling pressured to remove books from classrooms and libraries. Alok’s native Texas itself is a conservative stronghold, where bitter fights are regularly fought over textbook content.
The refusal to be pigeonholed
“A lot of people told me they supported trans people but didn’t know how to argue on our behalf,” Alok says, “especially when talking to her family at the dinner table. They also say they find gender theory largely inaccessible. So I made it my task to write a primer on trans politics that everyone can understand.” The nice thing about it is that it can be passed on from 12-year-olds to grandparents. “Everyone can understand it.” With the book, which will be released to coincide with the Standup tour, Alok continues to refuse to be pigeonholed.
“Are you a boy or a girl? Are you a comedian or a poet? Do you write prose or poetry?” – Questions that Alok is regularly confronted with, but rarely related to the specific work. Alok shares a concern at how many comedians are using transphobia as a driving force in their work, supporting the notion that there is something inherently dangerous or ridiculous about the existence of trans people. “It’s just sexism and misogyny behind it,” says Alok. It’s unfortunate that queer people in traditional standup are often the butt of jokes. It’s a pity the comedy. “We’re some of the funniest people.”
The approximately 60-minute stage show, which has long been sold out in Berlin, revolves around one premise: straight people need to be strengthened. “The point I make on the show is that straight society has normalized its self-loathing, self-denial, and self-deception to the point where it finds it a threat when it sees queer people being free.”
Alok is also making her:his acting debut soon in the upcoming Netflix feature from Mannheim-born American-Palestinian director Lexi Alexander. The movie, due out early next year, is an action drama film called Absolute Dominion set in the year 2085. According to Alexander, Alok is talented. “Alok immediately understood the dynamics of the film set. And also how much harder it is, a bunch mostly whiter Getting men to listen to a BIPOC director.” The filming experience was downright therapeutic for Alexander. She is optimistic about the future: “I think we will hear a lot more from Alok. It wouldn’t surprise me if Alok becomes a famous TV personality, sort of Oprah Winfrey for Gen Z.” Many people could benefit from that kind of wisdom and visibility.
„ALOK“, Thursday, October 20, 2022, 10:30 p.m. Babylon Berlin, Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 30, 10178 Berlin.
Translated from the English by Hanno Hauenstein.